2019, Bracket, Dates, Schedule, Final Four, Live Stream, ESPN

The NCAA tournament games is a Division I (men college basketball) Championship also referred to as March Madness kicked off 15th of March. This is a must watch thrilling tournament whose always surprised many due to its unpredictability which demonstrates its level of competitiveness given the enormous potential of American basketball talent and skills. This 15 incredible day tournament is something that you wouldn’t want to miss out on and there are many options for you to stream matches live.

NCAA is set to live stream all of the 67 March Madness tournament games on its live product all across 16 different platforms. They include the following: devices of iOS, Apple TV, Android powered and Amazon devices (Echo and Fire), Samsung VR Gears, Google’s Daydream, Roku, and gaming device Xbox One. Other supported web devices are mobile, desktop, AirPlay, and there is also Chromecast.

Cable subscribers

As for cable subscribers to live-stream games that are broadcasted on TBS, TNT, and truTV, you can sign up for the following streaming TV service: DirecTV Now, Hulu Live, Playstation Vue, Sling TV, or YouTube TV. There is also the inclusion of pay TV channels owned by Turner. This also enables subscribers in many parts of the country to stream local broadcasting channels such as CBS and the great thing is it’s at no extra cost.

How to Watch NCAA March Madness 2019

VR streaming

There is also the option of virtual reality streaming of a select NCAA games VR app available on Oculus Store and Google Play. 21 of these games will be streamed live in VR which you can view by purchasing a “VR ticket” at a fee of $2.99 for every game or simply pay $19.99 for all 21 game live streaming VR experience.

I have taken the liberty of further breaking down to you in summary the options for streaming March Madness 2018 NCAA Tournament Games. Check them out

NCAA Fast Break streaming option: For starters, like they usually do, NCAA tournament viewership has a 3 hour period free online viewership. This is a temporary preview where users are given access to streaming live before you are required to log in using a pay TV.

Apple TV Streaming option :For those who have Apple TV for the first time NCCA will allow funs to stream three games through their app giving you a multi-game viewership experience.

Watch NCAA March Madness 2019 live on FuboTV (try it free)

NCAA- Turner partnership: The NCAA- Turner partnership will enable those of iStreamPlanet to have a 60fps option for their video streaming. This is available to Apple TV, FuboTV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Roku, and Xbox.

Live-streaming via CBS: Those not having access to CBS on their TV, there is the option of live-streaming CBS content on any preferred device thanks to CBS All Access $5.99 monthly service. You can also check it out free of charge during their trial period that lasts a week.

As you have seen this year NCAA has gone all out to ensure that everyone is able to catch the March Madness 2019 NCAA tournament games. So don’t be left behind select your preferred live streaming option and enjoy.

The NCAA Final Four games are set for the 2017-2018 seasons. Villanova vs Kansas will be a memorable game people want to watch. Both teams are top ranked and earned a #1 seed going in to the NCAA tournament. The games did not disappoint and people wanted to see the match unfold. Villanova vs Kansas will bring together two sizable fan bases to watch the game play. The television ratings are expected to be some of the highest for men’s college basketball. Both teams have talented rosters and want to win a championship. That will add to the legacy of their school’s basketball teams. Kansas and Villanova have won basketball championships before now and want to win again.

Take a look back at the history of both school programs in men’s basketball. Villanova has won the NCAA tournament twice in their history. They captured the 1985 title after a stunning upset over Georgetown. Years later they captured the title again in 2016 and stunned the world. That has put Villanova University in the spotlight when it comes to men’s basketball. Kansas has been equally successful, winning their first men’s title in 1952. The school added two more titles, capturing the championship in 1988 and 2008 too.

Watch Kansas vs Villanova Final Four live online: 2018 NCAA Tournament live stream, time, date. You need to know, Villanova has been absolutely dominant for significant stretches this season. Kansas, on the other hand, lost three times at home this season. That’s as many as KU has lost at Allen Fieldhouse since the 1998 season. And yet, KU won the league outright by flashing its resiliency on the road.

Villanova enters the game as the Big East tournament champion. That helped the club secure a #1 seed after a high profile season. They once again proved to be a contender in their own right. Kansas was the winner of the Big XII tournament and also earned a #1 seed in the tournament. Head coach Jay Wright has been a leader for Villanova for much of the year. He sees a lot of potential in the current roster of the team. Kansas has seen much progress made with head coach Bill Self. Both head coaches have years of experience and want to add to their legacy.

Why Villanova win the game against Kansas

Villanova has an excellent roster and some experienced team members as well. Guard Jalen Brunson is a leader and can distribute the ball well on the court. Forward Dylan Painter will rebound and play defense effectively for the team. Villanova has had it easy when it comes to scoring points whenever needed. They can compete with some of the best teams in college basketball too. Their roster is stacked and will be more than a match for any other team.

Why Kansas will win vs Villanova

Kansas is an established basketball school and can play well on both sides of the court. Guard Marcus Garrett is an effective ball handler and plays well with teammates. He is a great leader and will be a valuable asset to watch. Center Udoka Azubuike is a defensive force in his own right. He can grab rebounds and block shots with the best of them. Expect Kansas to defend the paint and the perimeter all game long. That will be a defensive test unlike any other the teams have seen so far. Kansas has the drive and the experience to win out in the end.

In the present world, March Madness is popular with the NCAA basketball competition. However, the nickname was previously used to describe a different basketball competition. It described the yearly Illinois High School Association competition. The alias was introduced to describe a typical basketball die-hard fan. Nowadays, the term March madness is owned by IHSA and NCAA via March Madness Athletic Association.

NCAA March Madness is a brand employed for coverage of NCAA Division I Men’s basketball competition. The tournament is however jointly broadcasted by CBS sports and Tuner sports. The stations first aired the championship in 2011. Currently, other television stations such as TNT, CBS, TruTV, and TBS also televise the tournament.

March Madness has been grasping sports fans especially basketball fogies from mid-March to around the first week of April for the last few decades. March Madness is a nickname labeled to the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Men’s and Women’s Basketball games. The games are used to get the winner of the national college basketball.

The NCAA basketball tournaments are favorites with a large population of American Citizens. The games are wholly enjoyed by college basketball bogies every year. The games are knocking out competitions. It means that any winner has to beat at least six other rivals in a row so as to claim the title. Whenever a team loses one game, it is knocked out of the tournament.

The alias March Madness associated with the tournament is due to the fantastic environment, plus the chance to experience the breathtaking moments on the Basketball court. March Madness revolves around sixty-eight men’s teams and sixty-four women’s team challenging for the first college basketball’s exclusive prize. NCAA is tasked with overseeing the teams’ battle out for the title. Representatives from the participating schools draft the rules to be used during the NCAA tournament. However, a national NCAA body operates all challenges, including the March Madness. NCAA participating schools are then categorized into three sections depending on particular aspects like athletic budgets, school size, and general competitiveness.

In most sports, the final four is the final four teams remaining in a knockout competition. In most cases, the last four teams compete in the remaining games commonly known as a semifinal. Of the teams that meet in the final four, the two teams that win in each round will meet in the final. The team that wins the series is crowned the champion of the tournament. In some competitions though, the teams that lose in the last four compete for second runners up position in a consolation game.

The term final four is often employed in the United States and games primarily influenced by the US, otherwise, in other countries, the standard word used is the semi-finals. The word final four was first heard in 1975 through an article linked to Official Collegiate Basketball guide. After this incident, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) trademarked and incorporated the term into its business.

The oldest and standard use of the word is in relation to the final four teams in the yearly NCAA Division I basketball championship. Every final four team is the regional winner from the West, Midwest, South and East regions of the competition. The teams travel from their different areas to a common location for the final four. In the basketball tournament, for a team to reach the final four, it must win four to five games in a row. The four teams are paired against each other, and they then square out for the title on the final Saturday of the tournament.

The two winners in these rounds then play the final of the tournament two days after, mostly on Monday evening. The same rules apply to the NCAA Division I for the Women’s Basketball Championship. However, the final four for women’s tournament is played on a Friday while the final is played on a Sunday to prevent conflict with the Men’s competition. The NCAA also uses the term final four for other sports apart from basketball, such as Volleyball Championship. For the ice hockey games, the NCAA uses a different name, Frozen Four.

NCAA is the only organization legalized to use this term in the United States. No other group in the United States can employ the word in its games.

When it comes to the basketball tournament, you need a large screen to witness the games. For those who are not able to watch the competition on TV, there are numerous ways that one can stream the action. With fuboTv it is possible to watch the NCAA Final Four live. FuboTV also works perfectly in computers, Android devices, and iOS mobile gadgets.

As for the free to air TV, it is just there for regular news and events. However, with new technology, they can be fitted with an OTA DVR to allow you stream the games live.

The new up-to-date fuboTV is giving basketball die-hards an exceptional deal to watch the NCAA tournament. The fuboTV have been tried and tested. Most reviews have positively recommended it as an alternative channel to watch sports. fuboTv is compatible with the fourth generation of Apple TV. You will also enjoy a seven-day free trial purchase.

FuboTV is a channel that is dedicated to offering live sports. They have a basic package known as fubo premier, and it broadcasts over seventy channels. If you reside in a location where fuboTV includes, CBS, TruTV, TNT, and TBS, you are well covered to stream the NCAA basketball tournament this year. Sign up for FuboTV in advance. Ensure that you subscribe to fuboTV services if you haven’t already.

How to watch NCAA final four on Hulu tv

It is the best moment of the year, and college basketball tournament has kicked off. It is now possible to watch the final four on Hulu TV. You can now enjoy your favorite team as it upsets the rivals. From the first shot to the last, Hulu TV has fully covered your 2018 March Madness.

If you have subscribed to Hulu TV, you will be able to stream all the final four actions in real time across all live enabled gadgets. The men’s final four will be shown in most cities via CBS. TNT, TBS, and TruTV will air national broadcast coverage. The women’s tournament will be broadcasted nationally by ESPN. You can confirm your network availability by checking the zip code.

You can also download March Madness live application and use Hulu TV sign in details to log in. In addition, to live streams, Hulu TV will give its customers featured highlights and recaps of the final four. The selections will be available to both Hulu subscribers and on-demand viewers.

Starting this year, users can log in to their Hulu with live TV-enabled devices and add their favorite teams to my staff tab. Hulu will keep in touch with the selected teams throughout the tournament, and it will record the games and store them in your lineup to allow you access the highlights quickly.

You can also select to have game notifications sent to your Android and iOS devices. If you enable these notifications, you will be able to follow the final four in real time.

We all remember the global financial crisis but don’t let that make you gloomy because that was the year a star was born. A baby-faced skinny assassin was the point guard for a relatively small Davidson team having qualified for the March NCAA tournament of 2008. The young chap lacked the physicality of basketball players and many colleges passed on enrolling him before Davidson signed him up. Davidson didn’t qualify for the final four, after coming up a shot with one basket only. It is the tournament that left everyone across the US talking about one specific player: Stephen Curry. The kids could IQ and shooting for his size had been unprecedented in the basketball world before. He stood at less than 6 feet, basketball was considered as a sport for seven-footers during those days. Well, the rest is history as they say. Below is a comprehensive write up about the March Madness – NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament.

Current Tournament Format

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Men’s Basketball held every spring in the US is a single elimination tournament featuring Division I teams. Over the years the NCAA has changed names from March Madness and Big Dance to the current NCAA since 2011. The number of teams participating has increased. The NCAA basketball tournament is played between March and April by a total of 68 teams. The first 32 teams that have a sponsored basketball teams are based on a tournament style, but a Selection Committee determines the remaining 36 teams’ slots. The Committee is made up of athletic directors and commissioners chosen by the NCAA whose one of the jobs is to seed the 68 teams. Another duty is to divide the 68 teams into four regions each containing at least 16 teams based on factors such as proximity to each other.

The Committee seeds all the teams from no. 1 to 68 where the top 4 teams are placed in all four regions. The four teams are distributed among the four areas and earn the no. 2 seed in each locality, and this systematically applies for the rest of the teams. But this might not always be the case as there are some basic rules to be adhered to. Teams from the same conference can’t play each other until the regional finals, first and second rounds matches can’t have teams that played the regular season or previous year’s tournaments playing against each other. If this rule is not satisfied with the initial seeding, reseeding of specific teams is done to ensure the above rules are satisfied. In the semi-finals, the champion of the first bracket plays against the winner of the fourth-rated bracket, while the champions of second and third brackets play each other.

The NCAA rules prohibit a team from playing on a home court though there are exceptions to this rule. The final four venues are determined in advance and can’t be changed. There is a probability a team reaches the last four and plays at their home court. The rounds of this tournament follow in the chronological order below;

First Four. Referring to no. of games played no. of teams are games between four lowest ‘at large’ teams against four lowest ‘automatic bid’ teams. The games are played early in the week between Selection Sunday and First Round.

First and Second Rounds. After four teams are eliminated, 64 teams remaining play each other in the below format. Each top seed plays against the last seed in each bracket on Thursday and Friday the same week, and 32 teams remain. On Saturday and Sunday, the teams play each other, and 16 teams remain famously known as Sweet Sixteen.

III. Regional Semi-finals and Finals. During the second week, the Sweet Sixteen play each other and become the Elite Eight. They proceed to play against each other, and the Final Four remain.

Final Four. These are the winners from each region advance and play by overall rankings.

Winners and Appearances

UCLA is the school that has won most titles with 11. Mid-major teams have also experienced success. Some conferences were referred to as important conferences in the past but were downgraded to mid-major. Conference USA was demoted in 2005 after big teams left for Big East Conference, The WAC was demoted in 1999 when half of its members moved for Mountain West Conference, and MW was downgraded in 2011 when BYU and Utah left for other conferences. 11 mid-major leagues saw successes in the tournament in the past but were dissolved over time, e.g. Border Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, East Coast Conference, and Great Midwest Conference among others. There are also schools that have gone an extended period before making appearances, e.g., Harvard, Yale, Stanford, and Rice among others. The Associated Press has identified major college and small college always due to the actual basketball ratings. Army, William & Mary, Citadel, and St. Francis Brooklyn are considered major college but are yet to reach the national tournament.

Evolution of the Tournament

Over the years, the NCAA tournament has for several times changed its format since 1939. Please see the changes below.

The significant expansion of the field was beneficial. The NCAA tournament number of participants has increased over time. In 1939 there were 8 teams, 1951 there were 16 teams, 1953 there were between 22 and 25 teams, 1975 there were 32 teams, 1979 there were 40 teams, 1980 there were 48 teams, 1983 there were 52 teams, 1984 there were 53 teams, 1985 there were 64 teams, 2001 there were 65 teams, and in 2011 there were 68 teams. This number has remained to date.

The seeding History and Statistics. It started in 1978 for teams that automatically qualified and ‘at-large’ teams, but in 1979, all teams were seeded. In 2012, full seed numbers system was adopted, and the #1 seed was known.

III. Venues. Different cities and arenas have hosted the Final Four tournaments, Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Madison Square Garden in NYC, Louisville’s Freedom Hall and Indianapolis are the top 4 venues to hold the NCAA many times.

Stadium size and Domes. Over time the policy of hosting games in domes and sizes has changed due to reasons such as capacity, layouts, geographical layouts, etc.

Several other changes have taken place that deserves mention, e.g., semi-final seeding, pod system, play-in round naming, play-in games, consolation games, and bids per conferences.

Other notables are home court advantages policy which prohibited teams playing at home had loopholes since a team that qualified in the Final Four could find it playing at or near home. Another change is the flag controversy affecting Bi-Lo center, but the ban was lifted in 2015. Last but not least is the House Bill 2 which resulted in a ban of a specified period for the state of North Carolina.

Rituals and Conferences

Cutting down the net is an accepted tournament ritual at the end of a regional or championship national game for the winning team. The winning team is awarded a wooden gold-plated NCAA National Championship Trophy and an NABC trophy. The team that loses the finals is awarded silver-plated runners-up national trophy. Championship rings are given to the champions, and the final four teams are given Final Four rings. One player who most times is from the winning team is selected and awarded Most Outlandish Player though many people confuse this award with Most Valuable Player.

The immensely popular National Basketball Association Draft is held three months after the NCAA tournament and all NBA executives’ decision on who to draft in the first pick or second picks. It carries very well with my introduction statement on the importance of the March Madness Performing well in the March Madness is not a guarantee to be successful in professional NBA.

Television coverage and revenues

Since 2010, mainstream media has supported the NCAA tournaments. CBS, TNT, TBS, and tru TV. As per the contract, all First Four games are on tru TV, first and second round games are aired on TBS, TNT, and tru TV while CBS can only show a featured match at this stage. Sweet sixteen is televised between TBS and CBS. Elite Eight is aired on TBS, and the regional and national finals are broadcasted on CBS since it holds the exclusive rights.

CBS broadcast gives NCAA $ 500m annually worth of revenues. The revenues which count for 90% of NCAA annual revenue is divided among schools that play Division I in a structured agreed format. Please note that NCAA holds no profits.

From 1969 to 1981 NCAA tournament some selected games were aired on NBC and 1982 CBS acquired exclusive rights. ESPN also joined the fray and aired competitive opening round games which increased the broadcast popularity. However, ESPN became a victim of its success when CBS was awarded exclusive rights to the NCAA tournament among other reasons, its ability to reach a wider audience than ESPN. Since Viacom owns both TNN and CBS, some games were aired on TNN hosted by CBS broadcasters.

In 1999, Direct TV offered a March Madness premium package to games not shown on local stations and this promoted CBS in 2003 to provide live streaming via Yahoo. In 1999, HDTV started airing the Final Four games in high definition, but over the years this has expanded to cover other sports. Since 2011, ESPN International holds the NCAA international broadcasting rights and can distribute the same to other networks and broadcasts.

Tournament and Statistics

Some low seeded teams have achieved the national honor of progressing to further rounds, and some become champions, e.g., Villanova (no. 8 seed) in 1985, and Connecticut (no. 7 seed) in 2014 since expansion to 64 teams. Since increase to 64 teams in 1985, no team seeded as no. 16 has ever beaten a no. 1 seed, but a few teams have lost by 4 or fewer teams. Murray State lost to Michigan State by 4 points after forcing the game into overtime. Other low seeded teams have managed to achieve impressive feats like progressing to Sweet Sixteen, Elite Eight or Final Four. Some records are unwanted such as the one held by Georgetown. Georgetown is the only team to ever loose against teams seeded five spots or lower in 5 consecutive tournament appearances. A no. 1 team is yet to lose to a no. 16 team but if it happened, it could be defined as an upset.

Only once has four no. 1 seeds qualified for the Final Four, i.e., Kansa, North Carolina, UCLA, and Memphis in 2008. Three times there has been a Final Four without a no. 1 seed, i.e., 1980, 2006, and 2011. Teams seeded as no. 1 have a strong record of 13-4 against other seeds in the championship finals. In 1997, Arizona beat three no. One rated seed, and in 2011, Connecticut rated as no. 3 was the highest rated seed in the Final Four. Since the tournament was expanded to 48 teams in 1980, no undefeated team failed to qualify. It’s worthy to note that nine times a reigning champion has been unable to appear in the next year’s tournament. John Wooden is the most successful coach with ten national championships, but among currently active coaches, Mike Krzyzewski has a tally 5. Kentucky is the most successful team to win a tournament coached by five different coaches. The most significant margin of victory known as point differential is UNLV beating Duke by 30 points in 1990. In 1957, a championship game went to triple overtime and since then only seven times such games have proceeded to overtime. It’s also happened that six times a championship game has been won by a single point. Nine different schools were able to win a championship game by averaging 10 points per game through the tournament 12 times.

Host Cities

Different cities have held the tournament since 1939, and the list runs all the way to 2023. This year the host city will be Alamodome in San Antonio.

Popular Culture

There are gambling related contests on who can list brackets most correctly. There are 2^63 probabilities in a 64 NCAA tournament. Warren Buffet offered $1b for anybody who would predict the 2014 competition, but nobody managed. Tournament terms are not cast in stone but are accepted terms as per American sports language. March Madness is a registered trademark by NCAA. The Sweet Sixteen term coined by Kentucky high school is an officially registered trademark that is licensed to NCAA for use. Other sports have adopted the term Final Four. A Cinderella team is a lowly seeded tournament that causes an upset in the tournament.

In conclusion, the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball is one of the favorite platforms for aspiring players to get a foot in the NBA through the draft. Stars are born in such tournaments year in year out just like our introductory statement. The level of organization is very commendable and can be a benchmark to other countries globally.